Compliments of the Chef with Marisa Churchill

This week, Chefs Feed met up with renowned chef Churchill in San Francisco.

December 6, 2013 ● 2 min read

CF: I'm best known for my _______ but I can make one hell of a _______. MC: sweet and skinny desserts; sticky bun loaded with butter and laminated brioche dough

CF: A few words your sous chef would use to describe you. MC: Controlling, bossy, and funny.

CF: What are you most excited about right now? MC:Sweet & Skinny is going international! The Greek version of my cookbook is being released in Greece this Christmas. It's not exactly the same book since there are new dessert recipes and gluten-free ones, too, so I've been recipe-testing a lot. I also had to write it in Greek, which took a bit of time and is something I'm really proud of. I am also starting a Sweet & Skinny baking show that will air in Greece and several other countries. It's a blend of reality between my life and baking (which is also my life), showing people how to lighten up their favorite desserts, and how to make gluten-free and sugar-free desserts as well.

CF: Which chef would you drop everything to stage with? MC: Anthony Bourdain. I freaking love him. He's such a badass. One of the things I love about him is that there is no pretense; what you see is what you get. If he thinks you suck or that you have sh-tty knife skills, he'll tell you. And you better be ready to suck it up and deal with it, because he doesn't want any sissies in the kitchen, and I like that.

CF: Message to chefs about professional food critics. MC: Why do us chefs get so upset about what food critics have to say? Because first of all, I think you should always be your own worst critic. You should always be looking at your own dishes and looking for ways to improve on them. And remember, you don't always have to agree with what they say. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes you can look at something and say, "Well, maybe they have a point there." I think we should try to look at reviews more objectively.

CF: Is there anything you don't like? MC: I will eat anything and everything at least once, but I am not a big fan of liver or organ meats in general. I still eat them because I feel like I should like them, but they have this kind of metallic taste that I just can't get into.

CF: Thick or thin patty? MC: Definitely thick and medium rare.

CF: What's your favorite kitchen gadget that you cannot live without? MC: My KitchenAid. I actually love it so much that I have two, one here in San Francisco and one in Greece. The one in Greece is the heavy duty one, and I've actually taken it and carried it with me on to TV shows. This is a well-traveled KitchenAid.

CF: Do you have a guilty pleasure? MC: Ice cream. It's one of the only desserts that I will never say no to. I love making it, I love eating it, and I love buying it.